The structure of the Reichert House is simple. It involves the childís
school, parents and the Gainesville Police Department. This relationship forms a
triad with each part supporting the other on campus, in the community and at
home. First, a child is identified as either having a potential behavior problem
or has a behavior problem, which could lead to or has led to negative contacts
with the school administration or law enforcement via referrals from school
administrators, community leaders, juvenile social workers, court
administrators, church leaders and others.

In order to maintain a constant flow of information and to provide a base line of information to the Reichert House staff, all referrals are now referred back to an individualís respective school dean who now makes the contact with the Reichert House. This was a necessary step, as the
need in the community grew, referrals were coming in from too many directions
causing staff to have a hard time of doing the necessary monitoring and
tracking.

The school deans, who in this county are the ones who deal with the discipline referrals on the school campus, and the Gainesville Police Department work closely together to monitor a Reichert House memberís behavior on campus and off. The deans are the "eyes and ears" while the member-student is on campus. If there is any discipline problems that day, the dean makes contact with one of the officers assigned to the Reichert House, as soon as
possible, which is usually no later than the end of the school day. If it is a
major infraction, then contact is made immediately and an officer responds to
campus. All referrals of member-students are faxed to the Reichert House, as
well as a copy placed in a basket in the deans office, so that, when an officer
is on campus, they may pick up a hard copy of said referral.

The parentsí role in this triad is very important, however, most of our members come from broken homes. Homes in which there are no identifiable positive male models, or fathers. Homes where the mother or grandmother is the primary caregiver. This triad approach to combating school violence is also an approach to lowering the incidence of violence in our community. This triad approach also provides support for the home environment. In order to be a part of the Reichert House, a memberís parent or guardian has to be committed to allowing the staff complete and total access to all school and medical records. The parents and guardians also have to commit to 10 hours a month contact time as a volunteer at the Reichert House with the staff and their child. Parents
are also mandated to attend monthly parent meetings and various workshops as
they are developed.

The Gainesville Police Departmentís role in this triad has many facets and takes on varying degrees depending on the situations as they arise. As a facilitator of communication between the three entities, these Officers serve as positive role models; provide early law enforcement interdiction when possible; act as a champion for the member-studentís rights and the rights of all on the campus environment; as well as provide the necessary outside referrals to other agencies. These are just some of the roles that the Reichert House staff are
called on to fulfill.

While there is a limited capacity of the Reichert House itself, staff is currently doing outreach on several school campuses. Again the deans are making all the referrals to the Reichert House Outreach component. The deans have been
asked to refer that 10% of the school body who is in constant contact with the
deanís office and are causing the quality of life and education on campus to
suffer. The cry for help has gotten louder over the years and the response has
yet to catch up with the demand.

On a typical day, the Reichert House operates in this manner: Right after school is out, a van driven by Reichert House staff
arrives to pick up the member-students to transport them to the facility. At the
facility, the member-students are provided tutors (who volunteer their time) to
assist them with any homework they may have from school. Then, other activities
include life-style management (which consists of anger management, dealing with
peer pressure, open-round table discussions, etc.); computer skills; athletic
activities; field trips; guest speakers; military drill and ceremony;
volunteering and community projects. The day always ends with dinner and
transportation provided to a member-studentís respective home.

The day to day extracurricular activities may vary, but homework and life-style management is always a component of the dayís activities. By the end of the day, the member-student has spent his entire day with either a parent or guardian, the school and then the Reichert House. A member-student does not normally
get home until around 7:30 P.M., just in time for bed and preparations for the
next day, which will bring the same routine.

Parent(s)/Guardian --> School -->
Reichert House

2. When was the program created and why?

The program was created approximately 10
years ago. It started as a Right of Passage program for African-American males
who were experiencing behavior problems at school and in the
community.

3. How do you measure the programís
effectiveness?

Years ago, before the current state of
affairs, it was rather easy to measure the programís effectiveness. By design,
the programís measure of success was solely the number of tax contributing
adults that were developed versus the number of tax takers, i.e., those in jail
or on welfare. At first, the goal of the Reichert House was to provide this
community with solid citizens, those who understand the community norms and
could function within these parameters. The programís aim was not to send
everyone off to college, it was simply to slow down the onslaught of black males
heading into the penal system. If a young man was to go off to the military or
job corps or simply graduate from high school and go on to find gainful
employment, we call that a success just the same as if someone went on to
college. Back then, the members also entered the program at older ages than they
are today, a sign of the changing times, so the success was only three or four
years away.

Today, however, because of the changing times, we are now getting members as early as 10 years old and approximately in 5th grade. We had to look at ways to quantify our
efforts and not wait three or four year to see what impact our efforts were
having on the development of our member-students and the overall impact of the
quality of life on our school campuses, at home and in the community. In order
to grasp hold of all of this information, it became tantamount for the schools
and the Gainesville Police Department to solidify a working relationship that
allows for a free flow of information back and forth. We were using as a
measuring tool the number of referrals to the deanís office and the number of
non-positive police contacts that our member-students had over a course of a
school year to determine our effectiveness.

However, today, in conjunction with the school boardís research department who has a database set up to track all aspects of a studentís academic life. We are going to be able to track test scores, behavior, attendance, and more as well as set up a test group with similar backgrounds who are not participating in the Reichert House Program. Now, when we get our quarterly
report from the school board, we will be able to compare the two groups to
better measure the impact that we are having on the quality of life on our
campuses. If word of mouth and the number of inquiries into our program are any
indicators or measures for success, than our program has been a resounding
success.

4. How is the program
financed?

Although there are a number of other partners, the Gainesville Police Department finances almost the whole program. The police department supplies two full-time police officers and a part-time recreational aid. This commitment by the department includes all salaries and benefits. The officers are the lead workers at the site and are assigned within the police department to the Crime Prevention/Youth Services Division. The Reichert House is also supported by the State Attorneys
Office, who has set up a restitution fund that contributes a portion of said
funds to the operation of the Reichert House through the Black on Black Crime
Task Force, another one of the partners. Funding and/or resources are also made
available through the Corner Drug Store, Inc., a non-profit organization, who
also makes available outside family, drug, and health counselors to the
member-students and their family. The Gainesville Housing Authority, finances
and supplies maintenance on the house when needed, as well as other financial
contributions, such as purchasing computer software for the computer lab. This
program is collaborative effort by many concerned entities.

5. How is the community involved in the
program, if at all? How has the community responded to the program?

The community is very involved. From the
community food bank which helps supply food to feed the member-students everyday
, to the local restaurants who also supply food, to the local builders
association who in 1996 completely renovated the house, community support is
tremendous. The community is eager to assist at any and all junctures, it is
simply a matter of identifying a need and asking the appropriate business or
organization. Most of the time, however, before we are even at the point of
looking for assistance, someone or some business steps forward to lend a helping
hand.

We have had to turn down more children
than we are able to service because of the results, impact and the community
involvement that parents and educators are witnessing on a daily basis.